A known water softening apparatus includes a brine tank. The brine tank includes salt upon which water is added to produce a brine (salt/water solution) which in turn is used to regenerate an exhausted treatment tank in a fluid treatment system. After the exhausted tank is regenerated, the brine solution is then purged from the regeneration tank, not to be used again. To produce more brine, water is added to the brine tank having the salt. The water dissolves a portion of the salt to create more brine.
After each regeneration cycle, the amount of salt in the brine tank is reduced. Eventually, the salt in the brine tank will be depleted and the brine solution formed will not be saturated with salt. This unsaturated brine solution will not sufficiently regenerate an exhausted treatment tank. As a result, salt must be added to the brine tank so that proper regeneration of a treatment tank may take place.
Most modern systems do not include a low salt level sensor. The operator must remember to periodically check the level of salt in the brine tank and add salt as needed. These systems are susceptible to operator forgetfulness and error and thus are not entirely satisfactory. As the salt is necessary for the proper functioning of the system and adding salt is the only regular maintenance most modern systems need.
Previous attempts to incorporate a low salt level sensor were not satisfactory. A weight was used in an attempt to determine the level of solid salt in the brine tank. The weight was supposed to sit on top of the solid salt at the bottom of the tank. One of the problems with sensors of this type is that, when operators would add salt to the brine tank, salt would be poured over the weight and it would be buried and be unable to rise and sense the correct salt level. As a result, the sensing unit would falsely indicate that salt was needed. In addition, the salt level did not drop in a uniform manner and the salt would become unevenly distributed and the sensing device would falsely indicate that salt was needed when an adequate supply was present.
In view of the foregoing, a salt level sensor is needed which can accurately relay when salt is actually needed without producing a frequent false alarm that salt levels are low or depleted in the brine tank.